Aircraft such as helicopters may be provided with one or more cable cutters to protect the aircraft from catastrophic damage due to impact with an aerial wire or cable during flight.
Such a device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,833, incorporated by reference, which discloses a cable-cutting device comprising a pair of co-acting cable-cutting edges arranged at a suitable angle to produce a wedge-like mechanical advantage to at least partially cut a cable so that the cable will fail under moderate tension.
WO 99/38770, also incorporated by reference, suggests that the device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,833 is mounted on a helicopter in the position that is optimal for the installation of an antenna, making it necessary to select another—less than optimal—position for the antenna. It goes on to disclose a combined wire strike protector and antenna device that is mounted on an aircraft in the optimal location for an antenna and at the required position for the wire strike protector. The device includes a wire cutter having a forwardly open throat and a deflector plate projecting upwardly from the cutter for deflecting wires into the throat. The antenna component is a slot antenna including a conductive plate extending rearwardly from the deflector and a slot in the plate.